PHILADELPHIA, PA, Dec. 20, 2007 –- Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education, a national model for imaginative, public youth tennis and educational enrichment programs for a largely at-risk and diverse population in the Philadelphia area, has received an unexpected $10,000 grant from the Claire Giannini Fund.

The late Claire Giannini Hoffman was the daughter of A.P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of America. The San Francisco-based Fund does not accept donation requests. Administrators do their own research and make awards accordingly.

Tina Tharp, AAYTE Executive Director, said the grant will be used for the non-profit organization’s Love to Serve program, which focuses on reducing the dropout rate among Philadelphia school children by rallying the community around neighborhood tennis courts in North and West Philadelphia and at the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center, 4842 Ridge Ave. in East Falls. AAYTE was recently named Racquet Sports Industry’s 2007 Municipal Facility of the Year.

“We are truly honored and delighted to accept this significant grant from the Claire Giannini Fund,” Tharp said. “This will help us expand our Love to Serve program in 2008 to include more children and more parents, which supports our belief that community investment is important for the future of our children.”

Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education (www.ashetennis.org) delivers first-class tennis instruction, fitness, health and nutrition training, equipment, tutoring, computer science, library services, along with its nationally acclaimed life skills curriculum to more than 10,500 young people ages 4 to 18, mostly coming from underserved, low-income communities. The new $12.5 million AAYTE Center at 4842 Ridge Ave. in East Fairmount Park, is dedicated exclusively to serve children, the only facility of its type in the country. AAYTE’s principal sponsor is Advanta. Additional support comes from foundations, corporate, public and private resources.